Charlie's Blog

There are several good methods to earn people's trust. It is a topic that has been debated many, many times in the past.

Motivational speaker, Brian Tracy once said:
“The glue that holds all relationships together -- including the relationship between the leader and the led is trust, and trust is based on integrity.”

In my opinion one of the most important aspects and methods of leadership is honesty. In order for people to trust you they need to know without a shadow of a doubt that you are giving them the whole truth. Therefore it is essential to take every possible opportunity to be real, upfront, and honest with people around you. This can also apply to your conversations about other people. If you tell stories behind someone's back you can rest assured that they will expect you to tell stories about them behind their backs, this will significantly reduce the amount of trust they will have for you.

There really are two aspects to truth. The first is ABILITY to tell the truth. For example, do you know what you are talking about? The other is the WILL to tell the truth. For instance, do you care enough to tell the truth? If you A) know the truth and you B) want to tell the truth, you will inherently tell the truth. People understand this and you can count on them to very quickly figure out if you are a liar. In order to build and maintain trust therefore, it is imperative to know what you are talking about or don't talk about it. Or at least, make sure your team understands that you don't have all the details. If you go this route make sure you have the essential details your team is counting on you for so being prepared plays a very important part. The other part is to not actively withhold or cover-up information that your team is interested in. There may be some cases where this is necessary but you need to make sure that you have a good reason for doing so and understand that it can (and probably will) result in a loss of their trust in you.

In conclusion,
1. Take every opportunity to learn.
2. Take every opportunity to share what you have learned.
3. Treat others with the respect they deserve.